Systems and methods for applying a referral credit to an entity account based on a geographic location of a computing device

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for applying a referral credit to an entity based on a geographic location of a computing device. According to an aspect, a method may include receiving a product identifier and a geographic location identifier of a computing device. The method may also include determining an interface with an online retailer server based on the product identifier. The method may also include applying a referral credit to an entity account associated with the geographic location identifier in response to the determined interface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patentapplication No. 61/376,321, filed Aug. 24, 2010, the content of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for applying areferral credit to an account.

BACKGROUND

Electronic commerce, also known as e-commerce, includes the buying andselling of products and services over communications networks such asthe Internet. A consumer may conduct such electronic transactions byaccessing a website or online store operated by a business oftenreferred to as an online retailer. A large percentage of electroniccommerce is conducted entirely electronically for certain items, such asmusic in MP3 format, which can be downloaded from a server via theInternet. Also, much electronic commerce involves the transportation ofphysical products to a purchaser in some way. Example products sold viaelectronic commerce include books, compact discs, DVDs, and variousmedia content.

Many online retailers also operate a physical, “bricks-and-mortar”retail store in which customers can physically shop and browse products.On the other hand, many retailers, such as independent book stores orelectronic stores, only provide consumers with a physical retail storewithin which consumers may browse and purchase products. In manyinstances, consumers may only browse for products at the physical retailstore without purchasing products, while they later purchase theproducts via an online store. In these instances, the owners of thephysical retail stores may be left without compensation when theyassisted with the sale by providing a physical environment for browsingproducts. For at least this reason, it is desired to provide a systemcapable of applying a credit to an account of an owner of a physicalretail store when a consumer visits the store and subsequently purchasesproducts online.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for applying a referral creditto an entity account based on a geographic location of a computingdevice. According to an aspect, a method may include receiving a productidentifier and a geographic location identifier of a computing device.For example, a mobile computing device, such as a mobile phone, may beconfigured to capture an image of a product and to determine a productidentifier based on the image. The method may also include determiningan interface with an online retailer server based on the productidentifier. For example, a mobile computing device may be used topurchase the product from the online retailer. The method may alsoinclude applying a referral credit to an entity account associated withthe geographic location identifier in response to the determinedinterface. For example, a retailer at the geographic location may becredited a predetermined amount by the online retailer when theidentified product is purchased from the online retailer.

According to another aspect, a method for applying a referral credit toan entity account based on a geographic location of a computing devicemay include receiving a geographic location identifier of a computingdevice. For example, identification of a geographic location of acomputing device may be determined based on a coordinate orcommunication from a communications network that identifies thegeographic location. The method may also include determining that thegeographic location identifier is associated with an entity account anda product identifier. Further, the method may include determining aninterface with an online retailer server via the computing device basedon the product identifier. For example, a mobile computing device may beused to purchase the product from the online retailer. The method mayalso include applying a referral credit to the entity account inresponse to the determined interface. For example, a retailer at thegeographic location may be credited a predetermined amount by the onlineretailer when the identified product is purchased from the onlineretailer.

According to another aspect, a method for applying a referral credit toan entity account based on a geographic location of a computing devicemay include receiving a geographic location identifier of a computingdevice. The method may also include determining that the geographiclocation identifier is associated with an entity account and a productidentifier. Further, the method may include determining an interfacewith an online retailer server via the computing device based on theproduct identifier. The method may also include applying a referralcredit to the entity account in response to the determined interface.

According to another aspect, a method for applying a referral credit toan entity account based on a geographic location of a computing devicemay include determining a business entity associated with a geographiclocation identifier. The method may also include communicating thegeographic location identifier and identification of a computing deviceto an online retailer server for applying a referral credit to an entityaccount associated with the geographic location identifier. Further, thestep of determining may include mapping the geographic locationidentifier to the business entity associated with the geographiclocation identifier. The method may also include receiving a productidentifier from the computing device; and communicating the productidentifier to the online retailer server. The method may also includecommunicating a purchase order to the online retailer server forpurchase of a product associated with the product identifier.

According to another aspect, a method for applying a referral credit toan entity account based on a geographic location of a computing devicemay include receiving a geographic location identifier andidentification of a computing device. Further, the method may includeapplying a referral credit to an entity account associated with thegeographic location identifier. The method may also include receiving aproduct identifier; receiving a purchase order for purchase of a productassociated with a product identifier; and applying the referral creditto the entity associated with the geographic location identifier inresponse to receipt of the purchase order.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofpreferred embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunctionwith the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, there isshown in the drawings exemplary embodiments; however, the presentdisclosure is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalitiesdisclosed. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a system for applying areferral credit to an entity account based on a geographic location of acomputing device in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method for applying areferral credit to an entity account based on a geographic location of acomputing device in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of another exemplary method for applyinga referral credit to an entity account based on a geographic location ofa computing device in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method for applying areferral credit to an entity account based on a historical location of acomputing device in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a message flow diagram of an exemplary operation ofthe system shown in FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the computing device shown in FIG. 1according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the location-based redirector server shownin FIG. 1 according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an online retailer server shown in FIG. 1according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is described with specificity to meet statutoryrequirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limitthe scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated thatthe claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, toinclude different steps or elements similar to the ones described inthis document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies.Moreover, although the term “step” may be used herein to connotedifferent aspects of methods employed, the term should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order among or between varioussteps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individualsteps is explicitly described.

Embodiments of the present disclosure enable one or more computingdevices to receive a product identifier and a geographic locationidentifier of a computing device, to determine an interface with anonline retailer server based on the product identifier, and to apply areferral credit to an entity account associated with the geographiclocation identifier in response to the determined interface. Forexample, a mobile computing device, such as a smart phone having acamera and a GPS receiver, may be used to capture an image of a barcodeon a product at a retail store. In response to capturing the barcodeimage, the mobile computing device may be configured to suitably processthe image to determine the barcode's digits. Further, the GPS receiverof the mobile computing device may determine coordinates of thecomputing device when the barcode image is captured. Subsequently, thecomputing device may interface with a server for purchase of the productvia a communications network such as the Internet. The computing devicemay also communicate the geographic location identifier to the server.In response to receipt of the product identifier and geographic locationidentifier, the server may apply a referral credit to an entity accountassociated with the geographic location identifier. For example, afinancial account of a book store where a product was scanned by thecomputing device may be compensated by an online retailer that sold theproduct. In this way, a retailer where the product was scanned can becredited by the online retailer when the identified product is purchasedfrom the online retailer.

As referred to herein, the term “computing device” should be broadlyconstrued. It can include any type of device capable of receiving aproduct identifier and geographic location identifier. For example, thecomputing device may be smart phone configured to read, scan, orotherwise determine a product identifier (e.g., a UPC on a product) of aproduct. For example, a computing device may be a mobile device such as,for example, but not limited to, a smart phone, a cell phone, a pager, apersonal digital assistant (PDA, e.g., with GPRS NIC), a mobile computerwith a smart phone client, or the like. A computing device can alsoinclude any type of conventional computer, for example, a desktopcomputer or a laptop computer. A typical mobile computing device is awireless data access-enabled device (e.g., an iPHONE® smart phone, aBLACKBERRY® smart phone, a NEXUS ONE™ smart phone, an iPAD® device, orthe like) that is capable of sending and receiving data in a wirelessmanner using protocols like the Internet Protocol, or IP, and thewireless application protocol, or WAP. This allows users to accessinformation via wireless devices, such as smart phones, mobile phones,pagers, two-way radios, communicators, and the like. Wireless dataaccess is supported by many wireless networks, including, but notlimited to, CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN, TETRA,DECT, DataTAC, Mobitex, EDGE and other 2G, 3G, 4G and LTE technologies,and it operates with many handheld device operating systems, such asPalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS, OS/9, JavaOS, iOS and Android.Typically, these devices use graphical displays and can access theInternet (or other communications network) on so-called mini- ormicro-browsers, which are web browsers with small file sizes that canaccommodate the reduced memory constraints of wireless networks. In arepresentative embodiment, the mobile device is a cellular telephone orsmart phone that operates over GPRS (General Packet Radio Services),which is a data technology for GSM networks. In addition to aconventional voice communication, a given mobile device can communicatewith another such device via many different types of message transfertechniques, including SMS (short message service), enhanced SMS (EMS),multi-media message (MMS), email WAP, paging, or other known orlater-developed wireless data formats. Although many of the examplesprovided herein are implemented on smart phone, the examples maysimilarly be implemented on any suitable electronic device, such as acomputer.

As referred to herein, the term “product identifier” may be any suitableidentifier for identifying a product or item of merchandise. An exampleproduct identifier may be an electronic product code (EPC) that providesa unique identity for a physical object. In an example, a productidentifier may be encoded into a UPC or stored as data in an RFID tag.In another example, a product identifier may be an image of a product,its packaging, or portions thereof. In an example, the productidentifier may include one or more of a box packaging of the product,cover art of the product, and the like.

As referred to herein, the term “geographic location identifier” may beany suitable identifier for identifying a current or previous geographiclocation of a computing device. For example, a computing device mayinclude a GPS receiver or any other suitable equipment or componentcapable of determining a geographic location of the computing device. Inan example, the GPS receiver may receive satellite signals for use indetermining the geographic location. Further, the GPS receiver mayoutput a signal indicating the geographic location, such as coordinatesof the geographic location. Such coordinates may indicate a currentgeographic location of the computing device. A geographic locationidentifier may be suitably stored in a memory of the computing device.In addition, the computing device may store a time when the device waslocated at the geographic location identified by the geographic locationidentifier.

As referred to herein, the term “entity account” may be a financialaccount associated with a person or business entity. For example, anentity account may be a bank account with a banking institution.

As referred to herein, the term “interface” is generally an action thatmay be implemented by a computing device for interacting with anothercomputing device. For example, computing devices may interface with oneanother to communicate or share data over a suitable communicationsnetwork, such as, but not limited to, the Internet, a local area network(LAN), a wired network, or wireless network.

As referred to herein, the term “user interface” is generally a systemby which users interact with a computing device. A user interface caninclude an input for allowing users to manipulate a computing device,and can include an output for allowing the system to present informationand/or data, indicate the effects of the user's manipulation, etc. Anexample of a user interface on a computing device includes a graphicaluser interface (GUI) that allows users to interact with programs orapplications in more ways than typing. A GUI typically can offer displayobjects, and visual indicators, as opposed to text-based interfaces,typed command labels or text navigation to represent information andactions available to a user. For example, a user interface can be adisplay window or display object, which is selectable by a user of acomputing device for interaction. The display object can be displayed ona display screen of a computing device and can be selected by andinteracted with by a user using the user interface. In an example, thedisplay of the computing device can be a touch screen, which can displaythe display icon. The user can depress the area of the display screenwhere the display icon is displayed for selecting the display icon. Inanother example, the user can use any other suitable user interface of acomputing device, such as a keypad, to select the display icon ordisplay object. For example, the user can use a track ball or arrow keysfor moving a cursor to highlight and select the display object.

Operating environments in which embodiments of the present disclosuremay be implemented are also well-known. In a representative embodiment,a mobile electronic device, such as an e-book reader, is connectable(for example, via WAP) to a transmission functionality that variesdepending on implementation. Thus, for example, where the operatingenvironment is a wide area wireless network (e.g., a 2.5G network, a 3Gnetwork, or a 4G network), the transmission functionality comprises oneor more components such as a mobile switching center (MSC) (an enhancedISDN switch that is responsible for call handling of mobilesubscribers), a visitor location register (VLR) (an intelligent databasethat stores on a temporary basis data required to handle calls set up orreceived by mobile devices registered with the VLR), a home locationregister (HLR) (an intelligent database responsible for management ofeach subscriber's records), one or more base stations (which provideradio coverage with a cell), a base station controller (BSC) (a switchthat acts as a local concentrator of traffic and provides localswitching to effect handover between base stations), and a packetcontrol unit (PCU) (a device that separates data traffic coming from amobile device). The HLR also controls certain services associated withincoming calls. Of course, embodiments in accordance with the presentdisclosure may be implemented in other and next-generation mobilenetworks and devices as well. The mobile device is the physicalequipment used by the end user, typically a subscriber to the wirelessnetwork. Typically, a mobile device is a 2.5G-compliant device,3G-compliant device, or 4G-compliant device that includes a subscriberidentity module (SIM), which is a smart card that carriessubscriber-specific information, mobile equipment (e.g., radio andassociated signal processing devices), a user interface (or aman-machine interface (MMI)), and one or more interfaces to externaldevices (e.g., computers, PDAs, and the like). The electronic device mayalso include a memory or data store.

The presently disclosed subject matter is now described in more detail.For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a system 100 forapplying a referral credit to an entity account based on a geographiclocation of a computing device. Referring to FIG. 1, the system 100includes a mobile computing device 102 and an online retailer server104. The computing device 102 may be any type of computing devicecapable of determining a product identifier of a product. In anembodiment for determining a product identifier, the computing device102 may include a camera 106 configured to capture an image of a product108 such as, but not limited to, a book, various media content, acompact disc, a DVD, an electronic product, or any other type of productthat may be purchased at a retail store. The computing device 102 mayinclude a produce purchase manager 110 configured to suitably processthe captured image of the product 108 for identifying the product 108.In another example of determining a product identifier, the camera 106may capture an image of a UPC affixed to the product or its packaging.In this example, the product purchase manager 110 may determine aproduct identifier associated with the captured UPC image, such asdigits of the UPC. In another example, the captured image of the product108 may include distinguishing features of the product such as, but notlimited to, colors, dimensions, shape, text (e.g., numbers, words,lettering, and the like), and other distinguishing characteristics thatcan identify the product. In this example, the product purchase manager110 may assign a product identifier to the captured image of the product108 based on the features shown in the captured image. The productpurchase manager 110 may store the product identifier in a data store112. In an example, a user of the computing device 102 may interact witha user interface 114 for controlling the camera 106 to capture an imageof a portion or all of the product 108.

In another embodiment, the computing device 102 may determine a productidentifier of a product by reading a radio frequency identification(RFID) tag, a near field communication (NFC), a wireless communicationdevice, an optical machine-readable representation, or the like. Forexample, a computing device, such as the computing device 102, mayinclude equipment or a component capable of scanning or otherwisereading an RFID tag affixed to a product. The data read from the RFIDtag may include a product identifier for the product. The productpurchase manager 110 may store the product identifier in the data store112. In an example, a user of the computing device 102 may interact withthe user interface 114 for controlling reader equipment of the computingdevice 102 to read an RFID tag of the product 108.

The computing device 102 may also be capable of determining a geographiclocation identifier that identifies a geographic location of thecomputing device 102. For example, the computing device 102 may includea GPS receiver 116 capable of determining current coordinates of thecomputing device 102. The GPS receiver 116 may output the coordinates tothe product purchase manager 110 for use in applying a referral creditto an entity account in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure. For example, the coordinates may identify a location withina geographic boundary 118 that defines the interior of a physical retailstore such as, but not limited to, a book store. In response to theproduct purchase manager 110 determining or otherwise receiving aproduct identifier as disclosed herein, the product purchase manager 110may determine the current coordinates of the computing device 102 andstore the current coordinates in the data store 112. Subsequently, asdisclosed in further detail herein, the computing device 102 mayinterface with the online retail server 104 for purchase of a productassociated with the product identifier. In response to such aninterface, a referral credit may be applied to a financial account ofthe retail store located where the product identifier was determined orotherwise received by the product purchase manager 110 as disclosed infurther detail herein.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a user of thecomputing device 102 may use an application (often referred to as an“app”) residing on the computing device 102 to interact with the productpurchase manager 110 via the user interface 114 for implementing thefunctions according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Theapplication may reside on the computing device 102 and may be part ofthe product purchase manager 110. The user may, for example, inputcommands into the user interface 114 for capturing a product image orfor reading an RFID tag, an NFC tag, a wireless communication device, anoptical machine-readable representation of a product identifier, or thelike. In another example, a user may input the product identifier by useof the user interface 114. Further, for example, the user may inputcommands into the user interface 114 for interfacing with an onlineretailer server for purchase of a product. The application may have beendownloaded from a web server and installed on the computing device 102in any suitable manner. The application may be downloaded to anothermachine (such as the computing device user's PC) and then transferred tothe computing device over a medium such as a BLUETOOTH® connection. Inan example, the application can enable the computing device 102 with oneor more of the features according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, FIG. 2illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method for applying a referralcredit to an entity account based on a geographic location of acomputing device. The method of FIG. 2 is described with respect to theexample system 100 shown in FIG. 1, although the method may beimplemented by any suitable system or computing device. The steps ofFIG. 2 may be implemented entirely by the product purchase manager 110or in part by the product purchase manager 110 together with the onlineretailer server 104 shown in FIG. 1. The product purchase manager 110may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or combinationsthereof.

Referring to FIG. 2, the method includes receiving a product identifierand a geographic location identifier of a computing device (step 200).For example, a user of the computing device 102 shown in FIG. 1 may bebrowsing books and other products in a book store or other retail storelocated within a geographic location defined by the geographic boundary118. The user may find a book that he or she is interested inpurchasing, and may then interact with the user interface 114 of thecomputing device 102 for scanning an RFID tag affixed to the book. Thescan may provide a product identifier for the book. In response to thescan, the product purchase manager 110 may also determine a geographiclocation identifier of the current geographic location of the computingdevice 102, such as the current coordinates of the computing device 102output by the GPS receiver 116.

At step 202 of FIG. 2, the method includes determining an interface withan online retailer server based on the product identifier. Continuingthe aforementioned example associated with step 200, the productpurchase manager 110 may control the user interface 114 to display orotherwise present an interface for purchasing the product in response toreceipt or identification of the product identifier. In an example, theuser interface 114 may display an icon (e.g., a “BUY” button) forselection to initiate purchase of the product. Subsequently, the usermay select the icon by depressing an area of a display screen where theicon is displayed. In response to selection of the icon, the productpurchase manager 110 may initiate communication with the online retailerserver 104 via the Internet 120 or any other suitable communicationsnetwork for interfacing with the online retailer server operated by anonline retailer. In an example, the interfacing may include accessing awebsite operated by the online retailer. In another example, theinterfacing may include using a mobile application of the computingdevice 102 to establish a mobile session with the online retailer server104. The product purchase manager 110 may use a network interface 122 ofthe computing device 102 for communicating with the online retailerserver 104 via the Internet 120 or other suitable communicationsnetwork. The network interface 122 may communicate the productidentifier to the online retailer server 104. In an example, the productpurchase manager 110 may determine an interface with the online retailerserver 104 based on communication of the product identifier to theonline retailer server 104. In another example, the product purchasemanager 110 may determine an interface with the online retailer server104 based on a purchase transaction between the computing device 102 andthe online retailer server 104 for a product associated with the productidentifier.

At step 204 of FIG. 2, the method includes applying a referral credit toan entity account associated with the geographic location identifier.For example, the online retailer server 104 may be controlled by thecomputing device 102 to apply a referral credit to a financial accountof the retail store located within the geographic boundary 118. Theproduct purchase manager 110 may communicate to the online retailerserver 104 the geographic location identifier of the geographic boundary118. In response to receipt of the geographic location identifier, theonline retailer server 104 may apply a referral credit to the retailstore. For example, in response to the purchase of a product associatedwith the product identifier and receipt of the geographic locationidentifier, the online retailer server 104 may determine that the retailstore is associated with the geographic location identifier and maydetermine an amount for crediting a financial account of the retailstore. In this way, a retailer where the product was scanned can becredited by the online retailer when the identified product is purchasedfrom the online retailer.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of another exemplary method for applyinga referral credit to an entity account based on a geographic location ofa computing device in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The method of FIG. 3 is described with respect to theexample system 100 shown in FIG. 1, although the method may beimplemented by any suitable system or computing device. The steps ofFIG. 3 may be implemented entirely by the product purchase manager 110or in part by the product purchase manager 110 together with the onlineretailer server 104 shown in FIG. 1. The product purchase manager 110may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or combinationsthereof. It is noted that although this example involves the purchase ofa book, this example may also be applicable to any other type of productor multiple products.

Referring to FIG. 3, the method includes determining a productidentifier of a book via an RFID scan (step 300). For example, thecomputing device 102 may include equipment or a component capable ofscanning an RFID tag affixed to the product 108. In this example, theuser of the computing device 102 may suitably direct the scanningequipment towards the RFID tag and enter user input to control thecomputing device 102 to activate the scanning equipment for scanning theRFID tag. Data read from the RFID tag may include a product identifierof the product 108. The scanning equipment may output the productidentifier to the product purchase manager 110. The product purchasemanager 110 may store the product identifier in the data store 112. Anapplication of the computing device 102 may control the user interface114 to display or otherwise present to the user an interface by whichthe user can control the RFID scanning equipment to scan an RFID tag.

The method of FIG. 3 includes receiving user input for purchasing thebook (step 302). Continuing the aforementioned example associated withstep 300, the user of the computing device 102 may enter input via theuser interface 114 for initiating the purchase of the book. Anapplication residing on the computing device 102 may control the userinterface 114 for receipt of the input. For example, in response toreceipt of the product identifier read from the RFID tag affixed to theproduct 108, the product purchase manager 110 may present to the user aninterface for purchasing a product associated with the productidentifier via an online retailer.

A product associated with the product identifier may be another copy orversion of the product 108. For example, the product 108 may be a bookin the book store located within the geographic boundary 118, and thepurchase may be for another copy of the book through an online retailer.After purchase, the online retailer may ship the copy of the book to amailing address of the user. In another example, another version of theproduct 108 may be an e-book version of the book, which may be purchasedfor download to the computing device 102 from the online retailer.Alternative to the purchase of a book, another copy or version of anyother type of product may be similarly purchased from an onlineretailer.

The method of FIG. 3 includes determining a current geographic locationof a computing device (step 304). Continuing the aforementioned exampleassociated with the steps of FIG. 3, the product purchase manager 110may determine a current geographic location of the computing device 102.For example, the GPS receiver 116 may output a signal indicating thecurrent coordinates of the computing device 102. The product purchasemanager may receive the current coordinates and may store the currentcoordinates in the data store 112. In another example, an applicationresiding on the computing device 102 may suitably determine the currentgeographic location of the computing device 102. The product purchasemanager 110 may determine the current geographic location in response toreceipt of user input for purchasing the book.

In other embodiments for determining a geographic location of acomputing device, the computing device may determine its geographiclocation based on a communication from a communications network. Forexample, the computing device 102 may be in communication with acommunications network such as a wireless network. In an example, theaddress of the wireless network may be received and used for determininga geographic location by use of a geo-location mapping service.

The method of FIG. 3 includes communicating the product identifier andgeographic location identifier of the current geographic location to alocation-based redirector server (step 306). Continuing theaforementioned example associated with the steps of FIG. 3, the productpurchase manager 110 may control communication of the product identifierand geographic location identifier to a location-based redirector server124. The server 124 may include a network interface 126 for receivingthe identifiers via the Internet 120 or any other suitable network. Thedata store 112 may include an address of the location-based redirectorserver 124 for use by the product purchase manager 110 in communicatingthe identifiers. The product purchase manager 110 may control thenetwork interface 122 to communicate the identifiers via a suitablecommunications network, such as the Internet 120. The product purchasemanager 110 may communicate the product identifier and geographiclocation identifier in response to receipt of user input for purchasingthe book.

The method of FIG. 3 includes mapping the geographic location identifierto a business entity associated with the geographic location identifier(step 308). For example, the location-based redirector server 124 mayinclude a data mapping table 128 that associates geographic identifiers,such as coordinates, with business entities. For example, the entityaccount may be associated with a business entity identified as havingproperty rights to the geographic location identified by the geographiclocation identifier. A redirector manager 130 of the server 124 may usea received geographic location identifier to look up an identifier for abusiness entity. By use of the data mapping table 128, the redirectormanager 130 may determine a business entity associated with a geographicidentifier. The business entity may own the book store located at thecoordinates.

The method of FIG. 3 includes determining whether a business entity isfound (step 310). Continuing the aforementioned example associated withthe steps of FIG. 3, the redirector manager 130 determines whether abusiness entity associated with the geographic identifier can be foundin the table 128.

If a business is not found at step 310, the method of FIG. 3 proceeds tostep 312 where the method includes sending a purchase order to a genericservice for purchase of the book. Continuing the aforementionedexamples, the redirector manager 130 may control a process forredirecting the book purchase request to an online retailer server, suchas the online retailer server 104 shown in FIG. 1. For example, theredirector manager 130 may control the network interface 126 tocommunicate the product identifier, geographic location identifier,and/or the identification of the computing device 102 to the server 104.This information may be used by the server 104 for contacting thecomputing device 102 about the purchase request.

Subsequent to step 312, the method of FIG. 3 includes implementing apurchase transaction for purchase of the product (step 314). Continuingthe aforementioned examples, the computing device 102 and the onlineretailer server 104 can communicate for implementing a purchasetransaction for a book identified by the product identifier. Thepurchase transaction can include an exchange of financial information,product specifications, other purchase information, and the like forcompleting a purchase transaction for the product. Upon completion ofthe purchase transaction, the product may be suitably sent to the userof the computing device 102. For example, if the product is an e-book orother form of electronically-downloadable media, the online retailerserver 104 or another server may communicate the media to the computingdevice 102 or another computing device. In another example, if theproduct is tangible such as a paper copy of a book, the product may beshipped to the user.

Now returning to step 310, if a business entity is found, the method ofFIG. 3 proceeds to step 316 where the method includes determiningwhether the business entity can process the purchase order. Continuingthe aforementioned examples, the redirector manager 130 can perform alookup in the table 128 to determine whether the business entityassociated with the geographic boundary 118 can process the purchaseorder. For example, the table may include an indicator associated withthe geographic identifier for indicating that the business entity canprocess the purchase order. In an example, the purchase order may beprocessed for the business entity via a suitable server.

In response to determining that the business entity can process thepurchase order at step 316, the method of FIG. 3 may send the purchaseorder to a generic service for purchase of the book via the businessentity (step 318). For example, the redirector manager 130 may control aprocess for redirecting the book purchase request to a server throughwhich the book can be purchased from the business entity. In an example,the redirector manager 130 may control the network interface 126 tocommunicate the product identifier, geographic location identifier,and/or the identification of the computing device 102 to the server.This information may be used by the server for contacting the computingdevice 102 about the purchase request. Subsequently, the method mayproceed to step 314 where the computing device 102 and the server cancommunicate for implementing a purchase transaction for a bookidentified by the product identifier.

Returning to step 316, in response to determining that the businessentity cannot process the purchase order, the method of FIG. 3 may sendthe purchase order to an affiliate entity for purchase of the book (step320). Continuing the aforementioned examples, the redirector manager 130may control a process for redirecting the book purchase request to theonline retailer server 104 through which the book can be purchased fromthe business entity. In an example, the redirector manager 130 maycontrol the network interface 126 to communicate the product identifier,geographic location identifier, and/or the identification of thecomputing device 102 to the online retailer server 104. This informationmay be used by the online retailer server 104 for contacting thecomputing device 102 about the purchase request.

The method of FIG. 3 includes applying a credit to the business entityaccount. For example, the online retailer server 104 may implement aprocess for applying a referral credit to a financial account of thebusiness entity (step 322). For example, the server 104 may communicatewith a server of a financial institution (e.g., a bank) associated withthe business entity for paying the business entity for the referral.Information for contacting the server of the financial institution maybe stored at the server 104 and suitably associated with the businessentity. Alternatively, for example, the contact information may becommunicated to the server 104 by the server 124. In an example, areferral credit may be credited to the financial account in apredetermined amount based on the purchase transaction. For example, theamount may be a percentage of the purchase amount of the product. Thefunds may be suitably transferred from an account of the online retailerthat actually sells the product to an account of the business entityassociated with the geographic identifier.

Subsequently, the method may proceed to step 314 where the computingdevice 102 and the online retailer server 104 can communicate forimplementing a purchase transaction for a book identified by the productidentifier.

The online retailer server 104 may include a processor 132 and a datastore 134 configured to implement the functions disclosed herein. Forexample, the processor 132 and data store 134 may be configured forconducting an online purchase transaction. Further, the server 104 mayinclude a network interface 136 configured to communicate with theInternet 120 or another communications network for exchanginginformation and data with the server 124, the computing device 102, orany other servers or computing devices.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, FIG. 4illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method for applying a referralcredit to an entity account based on a historical location of acomputing device. The method of FIG. 4 is described with respect to theexample system 100 shown in FIG. 1, although the method may beimplemented by any suitable system or computing device. The steps ofFIG. 4 may be implemented entirely by the product purchase manager 110or in part by the product purchase manager 110 together with the onlineretailer server 104 shown in FIG. 1. It is noted that although thisexample involves the purchase of a book, this example may also beapplicable to any other type of product or multiple products.

Referring to FIG. 4, the method includes determining a productidentifier of a book via an RFID scan (step 400). In an example, theuser of the computing device 102 may suitably direct the scanningequipment towards the RFID tag and enter user input to control thecomputing device 102 to activate the scanning equipment for scanning theRFID tag. Data read from the RFID tag may include a product identifierof the product 108.

The method of FIG. 4 includes determining a current geographic locationof a computing device (step 402). Continuing the aforementioned example,the product purchase manager 110 may determine a current geographiclocation of the computing device 102 by use of the GPS receiver 116.Subsequently, the method of FIG. 4 includes storing a product identifierof the book and a geographic location identifier of the geographiclocation (step 404). For example, the product purchase manager 110 maystore the product identifier and the geographic location identifier inthe data store 112.

The method of FIG. 4 includes receiving user input for purchasing thebook (step 406). Continuing the aforementioned example, the user of thecomputing device 102 may enter input via the user interface 114 forinitiating the purchase of the book via an application residing on thecomputing device 102. For example, in response to receipt of the productidentifier read from the RFID tag affixed to the product 108, theproduct purchase manager 110 may present to the user an interface forpurchasing a product associated with the product identifier via anonline retailer. The user input may be input into the computing device102 after the user carries the computing device 102 outside of thegeographic boundary 118. Thus, the user input for purchasing the bookmay be received after the user leaves a retail store. Further, userinput may be received for purchasing one or more other products eitherwithin or outside of the geographic boundary 118.

The method of FIG. 4 includes communicating the product identifier andgeographic location identifier of the current geographic location to alocation-based redirector server (step 408). Continuing theaforementioned example, the product purchase manager 110 may controlcommunication of the product identifier and geographic locationidentifier to the location-based redirector server 124. The server 124may receive the identifiers via the Internet 120. The product purchasemanager 110 may communicate the product identifier and geographiclocation identifier in response to receipt of user input for purchasingthe book.

The method of FIG. 4 includes mapping the geographic location identifierto a business entity associated with the geographic location identifier(step 410). For example, the data mapping table 128 may associategeographic identifiers, such as coordinates, with business entities. Theredirector manager 130 of the server 124 may use a received geographicidentifier to look up an identifier for a business entity.

The method of FIG. 4 includes determining whether a business entity isfound (step 412). Continuing the aforementioned example, the redirectormanager 130 may determine whether the business entity associated withthe geographic identifier can be found in the table 128.

If a business is not found at step 412, the method of FIG. 4 proceeds tostep 414 where the method includes sending a purchase order to a genericservice for purchase of the book. Continuing the aforementioned example,the redirector manager 130 may control a process for redirecting thebook purchase request to an online retailer server, such as the onlineretailer server 104 shown in FIG. 1. Subsequent to step 414, the methodof FIG. 4 includes implementing a purchase transaction for purchase ofthe product (step 410).

Now returning to step 412, if a business entity is found, the method ofFIG. 4 proceeds to step 416 where the method includes determiningwhether the business entity can process the purchase order. Continuingthe aforementioned example, the redirector manager 130 can perform alookup in the table 128 to determine whether the business entityassociated with the geographic boundary 118 can process the purchaseorder.

In response to determining that the business entity can process thepurchase order at step 416, the method of FIG. 4 may send the purchaseorder to a generic service for purchase of the book via the businessentity (step 418). Subsequently, the method may proceed to step 410where the computing device 102 and the server can communicate forimplementing a purchase transaction for a book identified by the productidentifier.

Returning to step 416, in response to determining that the businessentity cannot process the purchase order, the method of FIG. 4 may sendthe purchase order to an affiliate entity for purchase of the book (step420). Continuing the aforementioned example, the redirector manager 130may control a process for redirecting the book purchase request to theonline retailer server 104 through which the book can be purchased fromthe business entity.

The method of FIG. 4 includes applying a credit to the business entityaccount (step 422). Subsequently, the method may proceed to step 410where the computing device 102 and the online retailer server 104 cancommunicate for implementing a purchase transaction for a bookidentifier by the product identifier.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, alocation-based redirector server, such as the server 124 shown in FIG.1, may communicate to a computing device, such as the computing device102, content associated with an entity account in response to receivinga geographic location identifier. For example, in response to receivinga geographic location identifier from the computing device 102, theserver 124 may determine entity account information such as retail storeinformation of the entity associated with the geographic locationidentifier. The server 124 may then communicate the information to thecomputing device 102. Example content may include advertisinginformation and product information. In response to receipt of theinformation, the product purchase manager 110 may control the userinterface 114 to present the information to a user. Further, forexample, the product purchase manager 110 may determine whether thecomputing device 102 is located outside of the geographic locationassociated with the geographic location identifier, such as by receiptof coordinates from the GPS receiver 116. In response to determiningthat the computing device 102 is located outside of the geographiclocation, the product purchase manager 110 may disable presentation ofthe content by control of the user interface 114.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a referralcredit may be applied to an account of a retailer whether or not aproduct identifier was scanned or otherwise determined by a computingdevice. For example, a user of the computing device 102 shown in FIG. 1may visit a physical retail store within the geographic boundary 118 tobrowse books, magazines, and various other products. The user may forgetto use the computing device 102 to scan or otherwise obtain productidentifiers of the browsed products. The product purchase manager 110may automatically determine and store a geographic location identifiercorresponding to the geographic boundary 118. Subsequent to visiting theretail store, the user may go home and decide to purchase one or more ofthe browsed products, or other products via an online retailer, such asvia the online retailer server 104. The user may use the computingdevice 102 for connecting to the online retailer server 104 to browseproducts and purchase products. The computing device 102 may communicatethe stored geographic location identifier to the online retailer server104.

In response to receipt of the geographic location identifier, the onlineretailer server 104 may communicate the geographic location identifierto the server 124 to request a lookup in the table 128. The redirectormanager 130 may use the geographic location identifier to look up anidentifier for a business entity. If a business entity identifier isfound for the geographic location identifier, the redirector manager 130may control the network interface 126 to communicate the business entityidentifier to the server 104. The server 124 may also communicate to theserver 104 information for applying a credit to a financial account ofthe business entity. If a business entity identifier is not found forthe geographic location identifier, the redirector manager 130 maycontrol the network interface 126 to communicate a message to the server104 for indicating that a business entity identifier associated with thegeographic location identifier was found. In response to receipt of abusiness entity identifier, the server 104 may apply a referral creditto the financial account of the business entity identified by thebusiness entity identifier upon purchase of one or more products by theuser of the computing device 102 in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In this way, a referral credit may be applied to anaccount of the retailer even if a product was not scanned while the userwas at the retailer's store.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a computingdevice may provide a local e-book discovery function for allowing a userto view local-relevant content associated with a physical retail store.In an example, a user located in a physical retail store may open thecomputing device 102 within the geographic boundary 118. The productpurchase manager 110 may control the user interface 114 to present aninterface for browsing books or other products that are available at theretail store or otherwise associated with the retail store. Further, theuser interface 114 may provide information about products available ator otherwise associated with the retail store. For example, the productpurchase manager 110 may control a display of the computing device 102to present a home page menu including a shop online store menu. The userinterface 114 may also display or otherwise present an option forpresenting to the user best sellers of the physical retail store,customer picks of the physical retail store, staff picks of the physicalretail store, and the like lists of books or other products relevant tothe physical retail store. The server 104 may present to the computingdevice 102 an online retail environment in which the user may interfacewith the computing device 102 for browsing products associated withthese lists. The product purchase manager 110 may recognize that thecomputing device 102 is located within the area of the physical retailstore, and in response to detecting the location, present thislocal-relevant content or other social media information to the user.The user may select one of the lists via the user interface 114 forpresenting detailed information and purchase information of theproducts. The user may interact with the user interface 114 forpurchasing one or more of the products from an online retailer inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Upon purchase ofone or more products, a financial account of the physical retail storemay receive a referral credit from the online retailer in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, referralcredits may be applied to an account of a business entity based on acomputing device being located at a particular area of a physical retailstore. For example, the product purchase manager 110 may determine ageographic location identifier associated with a current location of thecomputing device 102. The geographic location identifier may becommunicated to the location-based redirector server 124. In response toreceipt of the identifier, the redirector manager 130 may recognize thata user is located in a television or electronics area of a physicalretail store based on a lookup in the table 128. If the computing device102 is used to conduct a purchase transaction for a television or otherelectronics product, a financial account of the physical retail storemay be provided a referral credit based on the computing device havingbeen located in the television or electronics area of the physicalretail store.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, theapplication of a referral credit may be based on a time when a computingdevice was located at a geographic location. For example, a productpurchase manager of a computing device may determine a geographiclocation identifier and may receive a product identifier as disclosedherein. Further, the product purchase manager may determine a time whenthe computing device was located at a geographic location associatedwith the geographic location identifier. When the computing deviceleaves the geographic location, the product purchase manager maydetermine a time period between when the computing device was located atthe geographic location identified by the geographic location identifierand when a user interface with an online retailer server was determined.For example, the user interface may be a purchase transaction for aproduct. Information indicating the time period may be communicated to alocation-based redirector server. A redirector manager may apply areferral credit based on the time period. For example, the amount of thereferral credit may be reduced the greater the time period. In anotherexample, a referral credit may not be applied if the time period isgreater than a predetermined amount.

FIG. 5 illustrates a message flow diagram of an exemplary operation ofthe system 100 shown in FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, a user may activate thecomputing device 102 and carry the computing device 102 to within thegeographic boundary 118 (step 500). Subsequently, the computing device102 may scan a product as disclosed herein (step 502). In response tothe scan, the computing device 102 may generate a product identifier.

At step 504, the computing device 102 and the online retailer server 104may initiate a purchase transaction for a product identified by thescanned product identifier. At step 506, the computing device 102 maycommunicate to the server 124 a message including the product identifierin response to initiation of the purchase transaction. Further, thecomputing device 102 may determine a geographic location identifier ofthe current geographic location and may communicate to the server 124 amessage including the geographic location identifier in response toinitiation of the purchase transaction (step 508). The identifiers maybe communicated to the server 124 in separate messages or in the samemessage.

In response to receipt of the geographic location identifier and theproduct identifier, the server 104 may determine a financial accountassociated with the geographic location identifier (step 510). Forexample, the redirector manager 130 may use the geographic locationidentifier to look up an identifier for a business entity in the table128. The table 128 may include financial account information of thebusiness entity. Subsequently, the server 124 may communicate to theserver 104 the financial account information of the business entity(step 512). The server 104 may then apply a referral credit to thefinancial account of the business entity (step 514). The referral creditmay be applied upon completion of the purchase transaction of step 504.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the computing device 102 shown in FIG. 1according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6,the computing device 102 may include a controller 600 connected to thedata store 112, the product purchase manager 110, the user interface114, the network interface 122, the camera 106, and the GPS receiver 116by a bus 602 or similar mechanism. The data store 112 may storegeographic location identifiers and product identifiers. The controller600 may be a microprocessor, digital ASIC, FPGA, or the like. In thisexample, the controller 600 is a microprocessor, and the productpurchase manager 110 is implemented in software and may be stored in asuitable memory or data store. The network interface 122 may be a localwireless interface such as a wireless interface operating according toone of the suite of IEEE 802.11 standards, a mobile communicationsinterface, or the like. The user interface 114 may include, for example,a touchscreen, a display, one or more user input components (e.g., akeypad), a speaker, or the like, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the location-based redirector server 124shown in FIG. 1 according to embodiments of the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 7, the server 124 may include a controller 700connected to a memory 702 including the data mapping table 128, theredirector manager 130, and the network interface 126 by a bus 704 orsimilar mechanism. The controller 700 may be implemented as softwaresuitably stored in memory and executable by a processor. The controller700 may be configured to implement one or more functions describedherein. The processor may be a microprocessor, digital ASIC, FPGA, orthe like. In this example, the processor is a microprocessor. Thenetwork interface 126 may be a local wireless interface such as awireless interface operating according to one of the suite of IEEE802.11 standards, a mobile communications interface, or the like.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the online retailer server 104 shown inFIG. 1 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring toFIG. 8, the server 104 includes the processor 132, which may function asa controller. The processor 132 may be connected to the data store 134and the network interface 136 by a bus 800 or similar mechanism. Thecontroller may be implemented by software stored in the data store 134that is executed by the processor 132. The controller may implement oneor more functions described herein. The processor may be amicroprocessor, digital ASIC, FPGA, or the like. In this example, theprocessor 132 is a microprocessor. The network interface 136 may be alocal wireless interface such as a wireless interface operatingaccording to one of the suite of IEEE 802.11 standards, a mobilecommunications interface, or the like.

The various techniques described herein may be implemented with hardwareor software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, themethods and apparatus of the disclosed embodiments, or certain aspectsor portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e.,instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes,CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium,wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine,such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing thepresently disclosed invention. In the case of program code execution onprogrammable computers, the computer will generally include a processor,a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile andnon-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input deviceand at least one output device. One or more programs are preferablyimplemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programminglanguage to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s)can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In anycase, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, andcombined with hardware implementations.

The described methods and apparatus may also be embodied in the form ofprogram code that is transmitted over some transmission medium, such asover electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via anyother form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is receivedand loaded into and executed by a machine, such as an EPROM, a gatearray, a programmable logic device (PLD), a client computer, a videorecorder or the like, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicingthe presently disclosed invention. When implemented on a general-purposeprocessor, the program code combines with the processor to provide aunique apparatus that operates to perform the processing of thepresently disclosed invention.

While the embodiments have been described in connection with thepreferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understoodthat other similar embodiments may be used or modifications andadditions may be made to the described embodiment for performing thesame function without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the disclosedembodiments should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rathershould be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appendedclaims.

What is claimed:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a product identifierand a geographic location identifier of a computing device; determiningan interface with an online retailer server based on the productidentifier; and in response to the determined interface, applying areferral credit to an entity account associated with the geographiclocation identifier.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving theproduct identifier comprises reading one of a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag, a near field communication (NFC) tag, awireless communication device, and an optical machine-readablerepresentation of the product identifier.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein receiving the product identifier comprises receiving the productidentifier when the computing device is located at a geographic locationdifferent than a geographic location identified by the geographiclocation identifier.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprisingreceiving another product identifier when the computing device islocated at a geographic location identified by the geographic locationidentifier.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: capturing aproduct image; and determining the product identifier based on theproduct image.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the productidentifier comprises receiving one of a book identifier, a media contentidentifier, a compact disc identifier, a DVD identifier, and anelectronic product identifier.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinreceiving the geographic location identifier comprises receiving one ofa coordinate and a communication from a communications network thatidentifies a geographic location.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising interfacing with the online retailer server.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein interfacing with the online retailer server comprisesaccessing a website operated by the online retailer server.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, wherein interfacing with the online retailer servercomprises using a mobile application of the computing device toestablish a mobile session with the online retailer server.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, wherein interfacing with the online retailer servercomprises using a communications network to interface with the onlineretailer server.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein interfacing with theonline retailer server comprises implementing a purchase transaction topurchase a product associated with the product identifier via the onlineretailer server.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprisingdownloading the purchased product to the computing device.
 14. Themethod of claim 12, wherein applying the referral credit comprisescrediting the entity account a predetermined amount based on thepurchase transaction.
 15. The method of claim 8, wherein interfacingwith the online retailer server comprises browsing a retail environmentpresented by the online retailer server via a communications network.16. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving and the determining areimplemented by the computing device, wherein the method furthercomprises communicating the product identifier and the geographiclocation identifier to the online retailer server, and wherein applyingthe referral credit is implemented by the online retailer server. 17.The method of claim 1, wherein the entity account is associated with anentity identified as having property rights to a geographic locationidentified by the geographic location identifier.
 18. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising controlling the computing device tointerface with the online retailer server in response to receiving oneof the product identifier and the geographic location identifier. 19.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving user input forselecting the product; and in response to receiving the user input forselecting the product, initiating a communication with the onlineretailer server.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprisingcommunicating the product identifier and the geographic locationidentifier to the online retailer server in response to receiving theuser input.
 21. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling auser interface of the computing device to present content associatedwith the entity account in response to receiving the geographic locationidentifier.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the content associatedwith the entity account comprises retail store information.
 23. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising: determining that the computingdevice is located outside of the geographic location associated with thegeographic location identifier; and in response to determining that thecomputing device is located outside of the geographic location,disabling presentation of the content.
 24. A computing devicecomprising: a product purchase manager configured to: receive a productidentifier and a geographic location identifier of the computing device;and determine an interface with an online retailer server based on theproduct identifier; and a network interface configured to communicatethe product identifier and the geographic identifier to a server forapplying a referral credit to an entity account associated with thegeographic location identifier.
 25. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructionsfor performing the following steps: receiving a product identifier and ageographic location identifier of a computing device; determining aninterface with an online retailer server based on the productidentifier; and in response to the determined interface, applying areferral credit to an entity account associated with the geographiclocation identifier.